October 22nd, 2008

Good paintings are not good enough; my good paintings are not good enough. It makes little difference how recognizable the subject matter nor how distant a painting is from a subject, good paintings, even very, very good paintings, are not good enough; mine aren't. It's easy to fall into a production line mentality when you have so many deadlines and commitments to keep . . . it's easy to rely on experience and safety and to produce good paintings, paintings that aren't good enough. I have some paintings in the gallery now, in the studio in the back, especially a few smaller paintings, which need to get pushed beyond good and into the realm of work that is my own.

October 19th, 2008

The gallery is hosting the annual member exhibit for the Colorado Artists Guild for the next two weeks, and the juror is an artist I've known for a long time. He gave a little talk at the opening reception and award ceremony and in his talk he compared painting to music, comparing abstract art to melody without words and representational art to words with a melody.

October 6th, 2008

I visited with friends in Taos and I and two of my children explored Carlsbad Caverns on the way to Texas and the Museum show.

Carlsbad is the kind of awe-inspiring, reverential place where any artist might feel like painting, including me. It's a natural reaction, but there are too many problems to overcome. . . first, the Park Service won't let you paint in the caverns, maybe watercolor (I asked), and all the drawing you may want to do. Second, the place is lit by artificial light placed there by the National Parks, so the whole place has a theatrical atmosphere which is great for visitors but not so good for artists who feel responsible for their own light. Third, and worst of all perhaps, there is the scratch-your-head, or what an artist I know calls the what-is-it? factor. The place is so unusual, it would be difficult if not impossible to create understandable paintings.

The show itself was great for my children because they had a lot of children's activities, which I wasn't expecting but was grateful for, and a couple of the artist's wives adopted them for a few hours at a time, which they loved. My favorite painting in the show sold a half-hour before the opening festivities had a chance to get going! The entire trip was an adventure and more fun than I imagined. The people at the Museum of the Southwest, and the people of Texas, are wonderful.

Although I was determined to give landscapes a rest for a while and concentrate on portraits, still lifes, and railroads, I came back to the gallery finding myself needing to fill the place, especially small landscapes, for our Frist Friday Artwalk here in Denver's Art District on Santa Fe.

Being a little tired of landscapes, I naturally started a seven and one-half foot by ten foot paintings of Horseshoe Park(?)! I've been taking pictures of the painting's progress and if I have time I will make it a demonstration in the demostration section of this website.

September 4th, 2008

Mobile homes are astonishing! I have nearly the entire contents of John Passaro Fine Art at The Standing Sun Gallery with me as we travel from rv park to rv park on the way to Texas by way of Taos and Carlsbad Caverns. There are two large four-foot paintings in the aisle and a few panels, but that's okay. The shower is filled with paintings also.

I'm determined that once I return from the museum show to give landscapes a rest for a while and concentrate on portraits, still lifes (bricks, lanterns, pocket watches), and railroads.

July 4th, 2008

The transition from The Standing Sun Fine Art Gallery to John Passaro Fine Art is nearly complete. I might have some kind of informal opening when I get back from Texas; maybe for the First Friday ArtWalk in the District in October, which would be October 3rd. I miss the relationships I built with the artists I once carried in my gallery, and I miss not having their work around, but on the other hand I feel the gallery has more focus and is in many ways a better experience for collectors. I miss the lunches and conversations, but I don't miss the extra paperwork, managing the art, the insurance costs, and all the other administrative work necessary to show an artist's work. If you've been in lately, I hope you like the new look, especially since it's all my work!

June 30th, 2008

I haven't had much chance to write here in the studio news page. In April Denver's Art District on Santa Fe had an opportunity to host an evening in our District for a national association of museum directors and curators . . . it was a night of greeting and talking to fascinating people. I had no idea museum people were so interesting! Fortunately for me, my next door neighbor monopolized most of an hour with the director the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York; I say it was fortunate for me because I would have spent as much of the evening as possible talking to him myself! Instead, I used my time selling my work to a curator/conservator from New York City, a couple of other eastern museum officials, and one particular director from Texas who liked my work so well that he bought a painting and invited me to participate in their 39th annual Septemberfest art auction and event on the grounds of the museum. So, I've been busy filling up the gallery and stockpiling new work for the show. I'm taking my two youngest children with me in a 27-foot mobile home to the three-day show the first week of September. I think it will be a very memorable experience all around.

April 30th, 2008